


Memory Lapse

by pakunoduh



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, I think?, Other, probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 09:17:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12884775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pakunoduh/pseuds/pakunoduh
Summary: When it happened the first time, Asra didn't know what to do





	Memory Lapse

What it happened the first time, Asra didn’t know what to do. 

 

Dahlia had been standing over their table, clever hands throwing spices and herbs into the bread they were kneading, their words wavering in the air from the exertion and talking. He had smiled at their furrowed brow, their tongue sticking out in concentration while they pressed and rolled the dough under their large hands, the fragrant herbs inside wafting through the small room. Asra sniffed at the cinnamon and rosemary spiced air and leisurely spoke, the memory of another home bake he had enjoyed on a past trip between them. 

 

Dahlia quirked an ear towards Asra’s melodic voice, their hands near finish with their tedious task of adding air bubbles to the dough. They huffed a contented sigh and lifted their hands, reaching for a pan to put the mass of flour and spice in to bake for the next few hours. They smiled down at their work, satisfied that they would have a fluffy sweet bread by the time the dough with finished baking. 

 

The magician was quick to forget the things Dahlia had, recounting out loud his journey from months prior, remembering how his companion had met him during his quest, their presence in the shifting dimension causing the flowers to sprout with each footstep they took towards him. Lost in the memory of their kind smile, he sighed at the images it conjured, looking back at their blank face.

 

Eyes widening the longer he stared at their confused face, he went back to try smooth over his blunder, white lies tumbling from his mouth while he tried to cover his mistake. They wouldn’t remember that. They weren’t  _ supposed  _ to remember that.

 

A blush formed on his golden cheeks as he continued to apologize, but Dahlia stopped. 

 

And blinked.

 

And turned to him, their near black eyes looking at him as if for the first time. They cocked their head to the side observing him in confusion,  _ Asra? _ The word appears in front of his face, shining letters hovering above his face,  _ Should you be on your way to fix the rain? _

 

“Wha-” the white-haired oracle stared at the figure across the room, Dahlia’s eyes alight with a perception he hadn’t seen for a while. His heart beat hastened, veins rushed while his mind reeled, “How do you know about that?” he asked in wonder.

 

_ How do I know? _ Dahlia’s face morphed into a look of disbelief, a wry smile spreading across their dark features,  _ What do you mean, I’m the one that- _ They didn’t get to finish their sentence.

 

The words smoked out abruptly as taller of the two suddenly buckled, eyes rolling into the their head as their body went limp, side slamming into the table beside them, unconscious.

 

“Dahlia!” Asra shouted, scrambling his way to them, falling to his knees by their crumbled body. His hands fluttered above their prone form, fingers finding the trail of blood oozing from their bare scalp. His hand shook as he gingerly lifted their head in his hands, terrified tears formed in his eyes at the limp figure in his arm, “Dahlia.” he whispered their name again, voice catching on the last syllable. 

 

He frantically called their name again while hoisting them into his lap, pressing their head to his chest in support. His mind stalled and shuddered- trying to think of something he could do: a spell, an  incantation,  _ anything _ he could to wake them up. His breathing became erratic as each attempt failed him, his magic useless as they lay dormant in his lap. 

 

Asra sobbed and clutched them, rocking back and forth slightly with another sob. “Tell me what to do,” hre whispered between gasps, helplessness settling in his core as tears fell onto Dahlia’s face. His limbs shook in his distress, Dahlia's body shifting minutely with the movements. Their left arm falls away from themself, splayed out on the hard wooden floor, still like the rest of them.

 

Runes began to glow white along the other’s flesh, deep brown skin losing pigment across their face and hands, the color seeming to dissipate into the air as Asra watched, dumbstruck. He blinked his tears away and looked back down to see pale patches and thin blue veins now visible around his flatmate’s eyes. The now dulled symbols now mar Dahlia’s skin, the shapes and sigils resembling scars on their features. A pained sound rushed from Asra’s lungs as he gently pet one of them with the pad of his thumb.

 

Dahlia’s full eyelashes fluttered after a few minutes, movement darting behind their closed eyelids. Their eyes slowly opened and Asra sighed in relief when they groaned into his chest, rubbing their face slowly into the soft fabric of his tunic. 

 

“Dahlia,” he whispered gently, soft fingers tracing the larger person’s cheekbones, “Are you alright?”

 

They moaned again and tried to lift their head out of Asra’s chest.

 

“Don’t move!” he kept a light hold on their head, making sure they weren’t able to leave him, “How is your head? You’re bleeding.”

 

They rolled their wet eyes up to look at him, dark gaze meeting a soft purple. They bit their full bottom lip, eyes narrowed and nostrils flared for a moment, “What happened?” they ask gruffly, rich voice sounding for the first time in days. They gingerly raised a hand to find their wound, face twinged in pain. 

 

The now white speckled flesh passed in front of their eyes, the runes raised and apparent. Their breath immediately quickened, hand shaking as the speed of their chest’s rising and falling hastened.

 

“Dahlia-” Asra interjected again, grabbing the sides of their face and pulling them to face him, his hard gaze stared at their fearful features, “Dahlia, look at me!” he demanded and steadied their face, “You’re okay, you’re safe.” he responded with a gentle tone, thumb caressing their now white cheekbone.

 

“What happened, Asra?” Dahlia’s voice tremored, dark gaze childlike in its confusion, “Where did these come fro-” Their words cut off as their anxiety skyrocketed. They tried to speak again, sound refusing to leave their throat. With a shake of their head, they gave in and resorted back to their script.

_ How much time has past?  _ Their desperation was notable in the shaking of the letter, the sentence flimsy before dissipating into smoke, their concentration shot. They looked up at the face above, eyes wide while they studied him for answers.  

 

“Do you remember anything?” he dodged their questions, forehead creasing down at them.

 

They blinked and stared over his shoulder, eyes darting back and forth with their attempt to recall a memory.  _ I was kneading the dough…  _ they trailed off in the air, the words fizzling out of existence while their eyes find his face again.

 

“You collapsed,” Asra finished for them, melodic tone helping to tamper the other’s harsh breathing, “it hasn’t been long, the sun hasn’t moved from its prior place.” 

 

An index finger trembled in the air, Dahlia’s eyes drawn to it for a moment. They shook their head and gently pressed against Asra, using his body to push themself into a sitting position,  _ Where-  _ they started, eyes fixed on the opening of Asra’s shirt. They glance up at the other and start rapidly writing in the space between them  _ Where is Faust? She was around my neck before I fell. _

 

“I’m sure she’s alright,” Asra vocalized while bringing a hand gently to Dahlia’s head. They winced away from his prodding digits, “Please, let me help you. You’re still hurt.”

 

The taller huffed a sigh and acquiesced, eyes darting around the room to find the small familiar. Their focus settled on a purple coil at the far leg of the table. A tongue peeked out at them before a dull, pulsing light, grabbed their attention, Asra’s palm glowing where it rested over the apprentice’s head. 

 

Warmth radiated from their scalp even after the hand leaves it. They slowly brought a hand up to cover where Asra’s had lain, only to find soft skin. Asra noticed their prodding at their head and smiled softly at them, thought it didn’t reach his eyes.  The figure across the way gave him their own hesitant smile, a nod of gratitude being their last motion before they moved to stand.

 

“Wait!” he called out, Asra’s own feet scurrying beneath him. He stood quickly and holds his hands out to Dahlia, “At least let me check over the rest of you before you stand. You fell pretty hard.

 

Deep purple letters spelt out his name in the air, the hard set of their brow stopping his hands from touching their shoulders. The apprentice began to stand on unsteady legs, left arm reaching out to the table behind them to help with their balance. The effort alone almost sent them to their knees.

 

_ I’m _ , their gaze flitted down to the dough setting on the dark wood beside their now white hand,  _ I’m gonna go take a rest. The bread needs to sit anyway. _

 

Their hand fell onto Asra’s shoulder as they stumbled their way to the bed upstairs, waving off the frazzled magician when he asked if they needed assistance.  _ Tend to your familiar _ was all they spell out before disappearing to the second story, fatigue written on their features and their shambling footsteps. 

 

Asra looked down at the snake that had begun her ascent to his neck, body wrapped around his legs while she climbed him. His smile became more genuine when he felt his familiar come out of her hiding place.

 

“How are you doing, Faust?” he spoke aloud, inspecting the snake’s head when she finally crested his shoulders. She looked to be okay, eyes opened wide from where her face poked out from inside his shirt collar. Her scales were cold against the fortune teller’s neck, her face smug enough while she sapped his body heat from him.

 

His familiar blinked lazily and yawned, mouth gaping before turning to the stairs where Dahlia left. She looked at him with a tilt of her head. The magician smiled down at Faust and scratched under her chin.

 

“They’ll be okay,” Asra spoke, eyes trained on the top of the stairs. His hand fell to his side along with his smile, “I hope.”

**Author's Note:**

> this is a fic of for the first time my MC, Dahlia, loses their memory. They are kinda complex so if anyone wants to know about them hmu ! 
> 
> find me @ mvriel.tumblr.com
> 
> comments and critiques are appreciated !!


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